In the realm of some more advanced cannabis products than your typical strains and devices, that next ‘step’ for consumers tends to be dabbing. Once the idea of vaping, just smoking in general is down, dabs come along and take it to a whole other level. Literally.
Some dab waxes contain more than 4 times as potent as the typical strain, made only possible by a simple yet effective dab rig. What is the best thing that you can do for your rig besides use it? Keep. It. Clean.
Cleanliness of everything is now more vital than ever and is no longer just a chore for your smoking devices but the essential thing that keeps you, the consumer(s) and your devices safe. Here, you will find a few different tips and tricks on how to clean your dab rig and keep it shining throughout every single use
What goes into a Dab Rig?
To an extent, you can make a dab rig that is completely your creation (we recommend you try it for yourself), but your rig will not get very far if it does not have a few essential components:
- A Torch. How else would you light up your hash or wax, anyway?
- The Nail: What is basically the dab version of a bowl, this is most important as it is the final resting place before the dab is blazed.
- Water Chamber: Much like a bong, this holds the clean water needed to aid in the cooling and filtering of your resulting vapor.
- The Mouthpiece. It goes without saying that this is an important part of the dab rig to keep as clean as possible. Yes, all pieces are important to upkeep, but this is literally the piece that you put your mouth on and breathe through.
Make one at home
Have you ever tried to build your bong at home? What about your own pipes? Then you are in luck: These are not the exact processes that you follow but they do give you an idea of how to make a homemade dab rig.
To save even more time, you can actually fashion your homemade bong into a dab rig if you have the coordination and pieces to make your mouthpiece and nail in an upright position.
How to clean a Dab Rig
Again, if you have ever cleaned a bong, you pretty much know how to clean a dab rig: Disassembly, cleaning and or soaking (both if necessary) and reassembly. Nothing intimidating, nothing you cannot do already.
So, make sure all of your dab rig’s pieces each get attention and care as you move down the rig to clean it. Soak every piece in your preferred solution for 10-15 minutes and then rinse and wipe down to get rid of water spots: An easy game plan for your rig to look clean and be clean.
Cleaning Techniques
Germs and bacteria die in high temperatures, wash off with just soap and water and are virtually eradicated by alcohol and other disinfectants. With that in mind, it should be self-explanatory what happens when you combine the holy trinity.
A pretty basic soak in the tub is among the best techniques to clean all your equipment by simply soaking all your pieces in soapy water before rinsing and drying them. This alone will have most of your work done already, but to get those last few spots around tight corners, look no further than some everyday cotton swabs or pipe cleaners.
Dab cleaning kits
If you want to let the experts clean your dab rig, there are an array of cleaning kits available made just for these, both glass and ceramic. Individual items like wipes are super cheap, your dispensary might even have some, and a full, quality kit can only run you about $25 or $30.
Best supplies for cleaning Dab Rigs
Isopropyl alcohol, when used correctly, will help get you sparklingly disinfected pieces every single time, but the combination of that and hot water is literally where all germs go to die. The alcohol is completely safe to clean your dab rig with, you just want to rinse it off really well afterwards for the same reason you would not want to inhale or eat from soapy dishes.
It is tough to argue with solutions and cleaning kits specifically designed for your dab rigs, but if you do not have anything that specific, the next best solution might just be in your pantry: Rock salt or sea salt make excellent scrubs if you are looking for a deeper clean than just soap and water, and are extremely easy to clean off of without leaving any residue or harsh chemicals.
Lastly, paper towels might be good for setting your cleaned pieces on to dry, but we would not recommend them to actually clean with: Dishes are one thing, but since paper towels cannot get a lot of tough stains without breaking apart, you will need something more abrasive if you do not want bits of wet paper in your dabs.
Microfiber cloths are perfect for this exact job: They will not fall apart, nor will they leave anything behind if you use them to dry your pieces.
When to clean dab rigs?
It varies from person to person; some do one hit per dab session, others do more. Some do not regularly use their rig and others do. Because of this, there is no one definitive answer of when to clean your rig, with the exceptions being signs of bacteria, molding or residue.
These are all the telltale signs you need to clean your rig, but you will find the best results in maintaining the quality of your rigs, if you clean them between once a week to once after each smoke (dab) session.
How to keep dab rigs clean?
You probably do not need to wash and scrub your rolling papers (though you do not want really ‘dirty’ ones, either), but you do want to clean your dab rigs just as you would your bongs, pipes or vape cartridges. Once after every use may seem like overkill to some enthusiasts, but you will guarantee a clean and safer dab every single time.
Half-assed Cleaning 101 is basically: if there are no spots or stains, then it must be clean. However, this is not the case for deep cleaning as more than just the outermost surface needs attention to kill off all the germs.
